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“I believe a player should get a game misconduct for fighting,” Yzerman, Tampa Bay’s general manager, told TSN.ca. “We penalize and suspend players for making contact with the head while checking in an effort to reduce head injuries, yet we still allow fighting.

“We’re stuck in the middle and need to decide what kind of sport do we want to be. Either anything goes and we accept the consequences, or take the next step and eliminate fighting.”

Bowman tweeted his support of Yzerman, Carolina’s Jim Rutherford and Pittsburgh’s Ray Shero, other GMs who said fighting should be abolished.

“It’s funny when people say that because then you look at their teams and they have fighters on their team,” Sabres enforcer John Scott said in First Niagara Center. “I don’t think when Stevie was playing he was saying that because he had guys protecting him. It’s the same game, and I just don’t know if they’ve forgot how it was or what’s going on, but it’s kind of annoying.

“They’ve been in hockey their whole life, and now they’re trying to take my job away and other guys’ jobs away just because they don’t like it now. But when they played, it was perfectly fine. It’s a little annoying.”

Scott, who’d had 34 bouts in the NHL entering Friday’s 1-0 loss to Ottawa, is actually an unlikely ally to those who want to abolish fights in one case. Scott says no to certain fights every game. He thinks they’re stupid, and he’d be fine if they were outlawed.

Staged fights, that is.

“The staged fighting, the fights that don’t really mean anything, I can do without those,” Scott said. “I know I’ve been in a few of those in my career, but there’s a time and place for every fight. Sometimes they don’t really matter. I can see where the league is coming from and the fans are coming from.”

As for battles that take place in the heat of the moment, Scott says those are ingrained in the sport and belong. He’s got company.

“It’s one of those things that in hockey I believe we do need it,” said Buffalo defenseman Mike Weber, who’s had 13 NHL fights. “I believe it’s one of those things that can change momentum. It’s the last thing that we can control in the aspect of policing ourselves.

“Every year it’s something. They’re trying to change our game. We have a pretty great game, and I think it should be left alone. A lot of the things are trying to make it safer for us, but they end up not working out the way they planned. I feel you take fighting out of the game, we’ve lost all opportunity to police ourselves and control the atmosphere on the ice. It’s going to lead to more altercations, more scrums, more big open-ice hits, then that’s going to put a lot more pressure on the NHL for suspensions.”

Sabres right wing Brian Flynn has only been in one fight – he was bloodied during preseason after Scott and Toronto’s Phil Kessel began punching and swinging sticks – but he agrees fisticuffs belong in the game.

“I think it does,” Flynn said. “I’m not a guy that fights, but I still think it does. You have guys like John who stick up for your teammates when they have bigger, stronger guys who are taking advantage of your smaller, skill guys. You need guys like John or Webby, who will step in there and stick up for you.”

Besides, Flynn said, even penalizing fights with game misconducts wouldn’t eliminate them.

“I’m sure guys would still do it,” Flynn said. “I guess they’d get a suspension for it or refs would step in right away, but there’s no way guys wouldn’t step in for each other for a bad hit or something like that.”

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719476 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres' John Scott would be fine with banning fighting in NHL -- staged fights, that is

October 4, 2013 - 1:40 PM

By John Vogl

John Scott says no to fights every game. He thinks they're stupid, and he'd be fine if they were outlawed.

Staged fights, that is.

"The staged fighting, the fights that don’t really mean anything, I can do without those," the Sabres' enforcer told The News today. "I know I’ve been in a few of those in my career, but there’s a time and place for every fight. Sometimes they don’t really matter. I can see where the league is coming from and the fans are coming from."

Fighting has once again become a hotly debated topic around the NHL after bad injuries to the Sabres' Corey Tropp and Montreal's George Parros. Hockey legends such as Steve Yzerman and Scotty Bowman have said it's time for fighting to go.

Scott agrees with only part of it and says heat-of-the-moment battles still have a place.

"It’s hard to get fighting out of the game. It’s so ingrained in the culture," Scott said. "I don’t think when Stevie was playing he was saying that because he had guys protecting him. It’s the same game, and I just don’t know if they’ve forgot how it was or what’s going on, but it’s kind of annoying. They’ve been in hockey their whole life, and now they’re trying to take my job away and other guys’ jobs away just because they don’t like it now. But when they played, it was perfectly fine. It’s a little annoying."

Scott has been in 34 NHL fights, and as he said some have been staged. Teammate Mike Weber has fought 13 times, and probably all have been tilts brought on by emotional plays.

"It’s one of those things that in hockey I believe we do need it," Weber told The News. "I believe it’s one of those things that can change momentum. It’s the last thing that we can control in the aspect of policing ourselves.

"Every year it’s something. They’re trying to change our game. We have a pretty great game, and I think it should be left alone. A lot of the things are trying to make it safer for us, but they end up not working out the way they planned. I feel you take fighting out of the game, we’ve lost all opportunity to police ourselves and control the atmosphere on the ice. It’s going to lead to more altercations, more scrums, more big open-ice hits, then that’s going to put a lot more pressure on the NHL for suspensions."

Sabres right wing Brian Flynn has only been in one fight -- he was bloodied during preseason after Scott and Toronto's Phil Kessel began punching and swinging sticks -- but he agrees fisticuffs belong in the game.

"I think it does," Flynn said. "I’m not a guy that fights, but I still think it does. You have guys like John who stick up for your teammates when they have bigger, stronger guys who are taking advantage of your smaller, skill guys. You need guys like John or Webby, who will step in there and stick up for you."

Besides, Flynn said, even penalizing fights with game misconducts wouldn't eliminate them.

"I’m sure guys would still do it," Flynn said. "I guess they’d get a suspension for it or refs would step in right away, but there’s no way guys wouldn’t step in for each other for a bad hit or something like that."

Sabres coach Ron Rolston is intrigued by the debate and the steps taken to curb fighting, but he also thinks it'll be around awhile.

"It’s been a part of hockey for a long time, and I think it’s going to be a part of hockey," Rolston said. "It’s going to be interesting how it continues to go in hockey because now you’ve added a visor rule, you’ve added rules with taking helmets off, so it’s going to be interesting where it goes from here with some of those rules, I think, but I think it’s always going to be a part of things."

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719477 Buffalo Sabres

Larsson a center of attention for tonight's home opener

October 4, 2013 - 12:02 PM

By Mike Harrington

Much of training camp and the buildup to the season opener in Detroit was spent on the debuts of first-round draft picks Rasmus Ristolainen and Zemgus Girgensons. Tonight's home opener against the Ottawa Senators will mark the Buffalo debut of 21-year-old center Johan Larsson, another player the Sabres have high hopes for as a future building block.

With Ville Leino injured and Tyler Ennis shifted to wing, Larsson will take the ice as Buffalo's No. 2 center tonight between Ennis and Steve Ott.

"I'm really excited to go out and play," Larsson said today. "Camp was pretty good for me and that helped me build the confidence to do some work. they are two good players but they just told me to go out there and play my style and that's what I want to do.

Larsson, of course, was acquired from Minnesota last year as part of the Jason Pominville trade that also brought Matt Hackett and, as it turned out, Nikita Zadorov. His career will be closely watched as a main guy acquired in the deal for a captain.

"They really wanted me I think," Larsson said. "They told me to go out and play my style. That's the only thing I have to do. It's a great group of guys here to help me out. [Henrik] Tallinder helps me out. He's from Sweden too. You just go out, have fun."

"He's going to be a great center man in this league," Ott said. "You already see great instincts. Give the kid time, let him mature into a good professional player like Jason did when he started here."

This will be Larsson's second NHL game. He spent most of last year with Houston of the AHL but played one game for the Minnesota Wild before the trade, then finished the season in Rochester.

The lines for tonight will be:

Vanek-Hodgson-Stafford

Ennis-Larsson-Ott

Girgensons-Grigorenko-Flynn

Scott-Porter-Kaleta

The defense pairs will be:

Tallinder-Myers

Ehrhoff-Pysyk

Weber-Ristolainen

The scratches will be Cody McCormick and Jamie McBain. Coach Ron Rolston is expected to spot Scott in the lineup this season, based on the rough-and-tumble nature of the opposition. No real need for him against Detroit, but a real need for him against Ottawa with the likes of Matt Kassian and old adversary Chris Neil in the Senators' lineup.

Tonight's game is Ottawa's season opener and the official passing of the torch from the Daniel Alfredsson era. Jason Spezza has taken over as captain and this is the first game without Alfredsson as a member of the Ottawa organization since May 3, 1995.

"They're a real good team. They're similar to Detroit, a little bit different makeup in terms of personnel but they play a similar style," said Rolston. "They have quick forwards up front so you see a lot of similiarties. They've got key players like (defenseman Erik) Karlsson, who you have to know where he is at all times. He's a catylst for them from the back end."

It will be Ryan Miller in goal against Craig Anderson. Rolston doesn't tip his hand but it's likely Jhonas Enroth will make his season debut Saturday night in Pittsburgh.

Be sure to go back to this post for John Vogl's look at a unique element of tonight's pregame ceremonies.

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719478 Calgary Flames

Johnson: Galiardi makes amends for opening stumble

By George Johnson, Calgary Herald October 4, 2013 10:00 PM

No apologies necessary on this night.

Only 24 hours earlier after manning up and saying sorry, T.J. Galiardi settled an outstanding debt.

Consider it: Paid In Full.

“T.J. Galiardi, from goat to hero!” loudly chortled mishievious defenceman Shane O’Brien, showing off that winner’s confident stride as he made his way through the visiting dressing quarters at Nationwide Arena. “T.J. Galiardi, from goat to hero!”

Hey, such keen instincts to find the hot-button lead for a yarn may just make for a career in the sports-writing dodge for that O’Brien fellow one day. If he’s up to taking a massive cut in pay, that is.

But the mantra of resilience and — a commitment to short memories, moving on, bouncing back from adversity — will have to become a theme for this young Calgary Flames bunch because, as boss Bob Hartley so eloquently summed up recently:

“---- happens.”

Indeed it do. Particularly when you’re starting from scratch, attempting to forge a new identity, living with a lot of kids learning on a very unforgiving job site.

Thursday in Washington, Galiardi’s unprovoked cuff to the mask of goaltender Michal Neuvrith let the home standing Caps off the hook, a subsequent powerplay goal with him banished to solitary confinement paving the way for an eventual 5-4 SO loss at the Verizon Center.

Afterwards, he owned up to the blunder.

Friday at Nationwide, putting the stain of Washington behind him, Galiardi cashed a splendid breakaway goal, added an assist and drew the game-clinching interference penalty with 1:09 left on sheer hustle, forcing Blue Jackets’ defenceman Jack Johnson to bowl him over as the two raced for a loose puck with the Columbus net empty in favour of a sixth attacker.

That’s what’s called making amends.

“We’re going to make mistakes throughout the season, all of us,” Galiardi said afterwards. “But it’s all in how we respond. Maybe in my younger days I would’ve let something like that stick with me a little. Now, right away, I just wanted to get back out there and play, and help.

“I just wanted to respond because that’s what good pros, too.”

For the Flames, given the potentially crushing details of Thursday’s curtain-raising loss, the. After the disappointment of Washington they could’ve curled up in a fetal position.

“We’re not going to sit on success or failures,” vowed Hartley. “We’re paid to move on in this business. We’re trying to create accountability, for everyone.”

T.J. Galiardi was a model for precisely that on Friday.

“I thought he was one of our best players tonight,” praised captain Mark Giordano. “Pretty sweet finish on the goal. Take the goal out, though, and he was hard on the puck all night, hard on the forecheck, blocking shots. I thought he played great last night, too, just sometimes in hockey things happens so fast.

“Good for him. He’s a resilient guy. We’re learning that quick.

“But that has to be us a team, too. Resilient. After games, and during them, as well. Things are going to happen during games that don’t go our way and if we want to be successful we have to learn to deal with them in the right way. It’s a process. But we’ve already shown we’re willing to.”

Galiardi opened his Flames’ account with an absolute beaut to provide the visitors with their second lead, 2-1, at 7:56 of a four-goal first period. Stepping in just as Jackets’ defenceman Ryan Murray sought to slip a diagonal pass across to partner James Wisniewski, he broke away, with Wisniewski in desperate, fruitless pursuit, and left reigning Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky searching for his reputation on a wonderful forehand-to-backhand/stick-it-upstairs deke.

“I kinda had an idea the D-man was going to try and go D to D there. Lucky enough he gave it to me and I was able to walk in. It’s one of those moves you do in the summer all the time and then finally in a game you’ve just got to buckle down and try do something besides shoot it into his pads.

“I’m just glad it worked out.

“Honestly, I don’t care how they go in. I just want to help the team out. I think I’ve got to be more offensive for our team to be successful.’’

Success in the state of Ohio being something that’s proven elusive in recent seasons.

“It’s a tough building to play in,” agreed Galiardi. “It just shows our team isn’t going to have any excuses. We could easily have come in and said ‘Ah, you know what? Back-to-back on the road to the start the year, hard building, tough team to play against ...’ We could’ve packed it in, slowed down in the third and let them take the points.

“But how we responded just shows the kind of character we have in here. I know its early but we’re confident in our group.”

It is a confidence that will be put to trial, often, over the next few months. Be absolutely sure of that. But this start, three points out of four, against an Eastern Conference favourite and in a town, a building, against a team they’ve historically struggled to master, is cautiously encouraging.

“Another great game by the guys,” praised Giordano, who doesn’t have to warm up to his role of lettered leader. “Their barn. Their home opener. And I thought we did a really good job at the end, after they got to within one. We just stuck to our plan and saw the rest of the game out.

“That’s one of the hardest-working teams in the NHL. We knew it dating back to last year. We knew we had to match that, and exceed it. The intensity was high all night.

“So, all in all, yeah, sweet. A pretty good win for the boys.”

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 10.05.2013

719479 Calgary Flames

Green centres help Flames hold off Blue Jackets

By Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald October 4, 2013 9:49 PM

COLUMBUS, OHIO -- To answer Ben Street’s question, math is required.

But not too much of it.

Toted up, the Calgary Flames’ four centres have made 199 appearances in the National Hockey League — and that includes Friday’s ticks.

Street’s assumption about the total — “Probably not overwhelming” — turned out to be correct.

With Matt Stajan — and his 653 games’ worth of experience — unavailable because of a deep-leg contusion, the Flames had no choice but to trot out the following gents at Nationwide Arena:

* Mikael Backlund, the wise old man of the staff.

* Sean Monahan, in his second big-league skirmish.

* Joe Colborne, in his first game with new employers.

* Street.

The Columbus Blue Jackets may not have quaked. But they did lose.

The Flames, thanks in no small part to the unheralded pivots, yanked out a 4-3 victory.

In the dying minutes, coach Bob Hartley deployed during one stretch — Monahan, then Street, then Backlund, then Street.

“We did a pretty good job,” said Street. “There’s a lot of responsibility on the centre, especially in this system. We’re down low. We’re breaking pucks out. The way that team — and a lot of teams — play, they put a lot of pressure on the defencemen, so you need to be an outlet. A lot of times, you have the puck pretty low in your zone.

“As a young NHL player, it’s not exactly the most comfortable position to be in, but I thought we all did a pretty good job.”

Monahan, who turns 19 next week, is a natural place to start. After garnering his first NHL point the night before, the kid went back to work, tapping in a rebound only 147 seconds into the contest.

“A relief” is how Monahan described the goal. “Once it went in, I was pretty happy. It was a great feeling. To get it in my second game is pretty awesome. Everything is going so quickly right now. I’m taking it, I guess, one day at a time and, on the ice, one shift at a time.”

(Friday, there had been 18 shifts to take one at a time.)

In the morning, Hartley had noted that he witnessed some “junior stuff” in Monahan’s display in Washington. That, it would appear, is evaporating.

Post-game, Monahan received the firefighter’s helmet from appreciative teammates — the hat fitting a little cockeyed, given his lumpy noggin and the half-dozen stitches over his right eyebrow — and rave reviews from an admiring skipper.

“He played with confidence,” said Hartley. “He had jump in his game.”

Of course, coach’s compliments were directed into every corner of the dressing room.

T.J. Galiardi, Jiri Hudler, Curtis Glencross also scored — the latter two in the decisive third period — while Jack Johnson, Marian Gaborik and Artem Anisimov replied for the hosts.

Goalie Joey MacDonald picked up the dubya, while rearguard Dennis Wideman shouldered a Bouwmeesterian amount of ice time — 29:08.

“There’s no more divisions on the team,” said Hartley. “Everyone’s (been) warned that we’re not going to tolerate this, from the ownership down to the video coach. We preach every day that we’re going to be a team. That’s how we want to create this new chapter. This is the new edition of the Calgary Flames.”

Which, officially, includes Colborne now.

“Chills — it was a very cool experience,” the Calgary native said of his debut. “The guys were all hooting and hollering when I did it. Huge honour to wear that jersey.”

That said, Colborne certainly didn’t go overboard about his performance.

“I was thinking too much . . . I wasn’t too much help for my linemates,” said the 23-year-old, who, playing nearly 13 minutes, recorded four hits and went 2-for-10 at the dot. “Going forward now will be a lot easier.”

On this night, Hartley had no complaints — there were his four centres.

And not one of them was about to ignore a tap on the shoulder, no matter how tight the proceedings.

“A little bit trial by fire,” said Street. “We haven’t played that many games, and we’re up the middle centring some pretty good guys, against some pretty good guys. Defensively, I’m not sure what the chances-against will show, but it never felt like we got too overwhelmed.

“That’s a credit to everybody, but a lot of it can go to the centres, too.”

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 10.05.2013

719480 Calgary Flames

MacDonald in; maybe Colborne, too

October 4, 2013. 10:09 am • Section: Flames Insider

Staff

Coach Bob Hartley wouldn’t say who or what, but one player in particular is a game-time decision this evening against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“We have a few bumps, but nothing is sure yet,” he said. “There’s nothing major going on.”

That said — depending on that one forward’s availability (Hartley referred to him as “questionable”) — C Joe Colborne could draw in for his first appearance for the Flames.

“The challenge is much bigger for Joe,” said Hartley. “It’s kind of an unfair situation because he didn’t get the three weeks of training camp, he didn’t get all the video sessions. Obviously, we sat with him and we were very clear that we would fast-forward him in order to cover the three weeks of camp. That’s one of the reasons he didn’t play last night. We sat him with Craig Conroy and Dominic Pittis — they were commentating the entire game to get him to realize (the Flames’ system).

“But we made a trade. That’s part of our business — (partly) for me I need to adjust, (partly) for him also. We will help him. Obviously, I need to put him in a situation where he can feel good.”

Also, Joey MacDonald gets the start in goal.

“The goalie battle is not set yet,” said Hartley. “No one in this organization has come out and said, ‘One guy is clearly our No. 1.’ The battle keeps going on. That’s exactly the message we gave Reto Berra also. I thought we were very clear with the three goalies. We don’t have an established No. 1 yet. We’re still looking.

Hartley was asked about Karri Ramo’s debut Thursday in Washington. The Finn allowed four goals on 39 shots. Both shootout attempts eluded him.

“He was OK, he was OK,” Hartley said. “I thought that he had a good start. I can’t fault him on any goals. I can’t blame him at all.”

And, at any rate, Hartley is more than ready to leave the season-opening 5-4 shootout loss in the past.

“I’m always a guy looking forward,” he said. “We know what happened. We know all the great stuff we did. And we also know some parts of the game  where we couldn’t contain Ovechkin . . . and we made some bad decisions.

“But Elvis is dead and the Beatles have split, it’s time to move on.”

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 10.05.2013

719481 Calgary Flames

Joey MacDonald to get the start for the Calgary Flames in Columbus

By WES GILBERTSON,Calgary Sun

First posted: Friday, October 04, 2013 10:03 AM MDT | Updated: Friday, October 04, 2013 10:13 AM MDT

Flames (0-0-1) at Blue Jackets (0-0-0)

TIME: 5 p.m.

TV: Sportsnet West

RADIO: Sportsnet Fan 960

THE MAIN STORYLINE: Joey MacDonald makes his first start of the season in Calgary's crease. The 33-year-old puck-stopper seemed to fall behind both Karri Ramo and Reto Berra — currently the starter for the AHL's Abbotsford Heat — during training camp and was the backup in Thursday's season-opener. He had an 8-9-1 record for the Flames last season with a 2.87 goals-against average and .902 save percentage.